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Two Dead Following Attacks On Anti-Government Protesters In Bangkok

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

An attack on anti-government protesters in Thailand's capital, Bangkok, has left at least two people dead and more than 20 wounded, Thai authorities say.

The incident marks renewed violence between supporters and opponents of ousted Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, who was removed from her post last week by the country's Constitutional Court along with nine of her Cabinet ministers. Her Pheu Thai party, however, remains in power.

The Associated Press writes:

"Bangkok's emergency medical services center says 21 people were ... wounded in the assault early Thursday in the capital.

"The violence took place near the city's Democracy Monument, where protesters are camping out."

Reuters reports that a doctor at a Bangkok emergency center said the wounded had been hit by shrapnel.

The unrest pitting Yingluck's "red shirts" against anti-government "yellow shirts" has left at least 27 dead and more than 800 wounded since November, when the opposition stepped up its campaign to remove the elected prime minister and replace her government with an unelected ruling council under the auspices of the monarchy.

The Bangkok Post says Thursday that the country's Criminal Court had approved arrest warrants for an additional 30 leaders of the yellow-shirt movement, formally known as the People's Democratic Reform Committee, or PDRC.

According to the Post:

"The arrest warrants were sought by the Department of Special Investigation (DSI), which last week agreed to indict 43 PDRC leaders on charges of insurrection stemming from the months-long anti-government protests.

"The court agreed to issue warrants for 30 of the leaders, saying they have never been the subjects of arrest warrants previously and should be arrested and prosecuted as soon as possible."

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